


Cushion the blows

by idioticfangirl



Series: The Avengers Team-Building Shenanigans [37]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, M/M, Not Incest, Sibling Bonding, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team Fluff, This is more feely than funny idk what happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7135610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idioticfangirl/pseuds/idioticfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter how much they trust in each other's abilities, they still worry whenever someone is on a solo mission.  So, when they come back, how do they celebrate each other's company?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cushion the blows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pandaruler1897](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandaruler1897/gifts).



Despite the fact that they were an elite group of superheroes who could undoubtedly handle any threat that came their way, the team became unbearably antsy when one of their own was sent on a solo mission. There was something about sitting idly on their thumbs, waiting for either their teammate or a body to come back, which was impossible to do. This was only made worse on the bigger threats, the ones that were covered in graphic detail on the news until someone (usually Vision) turned off the TV and dragged the team to do some menial task that took their mind off it, albeit only for a small amount of time.

Each member of the team had a place they felt safe, and more often than not it was to here that they retreated during the hours they were meant to be sleeping, but were too worried about a team-member to do so. Tony had his lab, claiming that he had his best ideas when Steve was gone and he had to build something or scream, and Steve himself had the gym, where he could punch things to his heart's content whilst pretending that they were whoever might be hurting one of his people. Wanda retreated to her room to watch terrible old movies, Pietro went for runs around the country, and Bucky watched game shows on repeat. Sam and Natasha both spent their time reading, Scott skyped his daughter, Vision hacked computers, and Thor rode for hours on buses around town. To the surprise of everyone except Natasha, both because she knew Clint too well and because nothing could surprise her, Clint baked. Very well.

This time was worse than usual. Steve and Wanda were on the mission together, something which had started out as a top-secret simple 'take them down and go' routine that they had performed a thousand times but had instead turned into a massive shoot-out. The two of them had pulled away, refusing to reciprocate and the pleas of the government, but when people from all across the globe announced their anger at the people who were meant to save lives being unable to do so because governments were worried it might look bad, they changed their minds pretty fast and Captain America and Scarlet Witch were back in the fray. The media coverage was huge, all filmed from angles that made it look like the two of them might die at any given moment, before all connection was cut and the screen went black with an ominous thunk for nigh on a minute before it returned to the news HQ, apologising for 'technical difficulties'.

So the whole team was, essentially, having a breakdown, in its own quiet way. Tony, Pietro and Sam were doing so far more obviously, but everyone else retreated to their happy place and tried to wile away the time until their fearless companions came back.

 

Understandably, when the two did come back (as they always did, although it was clear that people were lying when they exclaimed that they had never doubted it for a second), the team was rather...clingy. Tony immediately dragged Steve upstairs to their bedrooms, essentially grounding everyone until the horribly dirty moans and bangs stopped coming from their room, and Sam settled down to watch a film with Wanda, using this as one of the only times that he would release his fragile masculinity for long enough to be the one that lay his head on her lap, hugging her tight so that the couldn't leave, so that he was convinced she really was here, and safe.

Once it was over, Sam excused himself for a moment. Instead of going to the bathroom, he made his way to Pietro's room, knocking on the door once and nodding when he opened it. "You want some alone time with her?" He asked in response to Pietro's confusion, relishing the way his face lit up as he nodded eagerly. "No need to thank me," he interrupted when Pietro began, "I get it. Go on." He had barely finished the word before Pietro was in the living room.

"Sam?" Wanda asked when Pietro entered, but was unable to express any confusion as in an instant he was next to her, hugging so tightly she could barely breath.

"I missed you," was all he said, leaving the thoughts about how screwed he would be if she died, and how scared he had been that he'd never see her again, unsaid. She didn't have to read his mind to know it, it was clear on his face.

"Do you remember," she began, sitting cross-legged on the couch, "those old pillow forts we used to make?" He nodded, grin broadening wickedly as he zoomed off, returning soon with pillows, mattresses and a duvet to spread over it.

"Time to make a den."

 

It was a throwback to how well they knew each other, the individual way both twin worked, that they could complete a pillow fort in nothing more than companionable silence and the happy, safe knowledge that they were with family. Soon, it was done, and the two of them wriggled into their hidey-hole with secretive grins and a pillow fight that only ended when they nearly knocked off the makeshift roof.

Just like old times, they lay there, talking about anything and everything until there was nothing more that needed to be talked about and they were free to just enjoy each other's company. Unlike old times, they weren't alone in the house, and it wasn't long before someone found them. In this case, that someone was Steve. 

As soon as he walked in, the two of them made to get up, embarrassed of showing such childish behaviour in front of their leader, but, upon seeing them, Steve smiled, a soft smile that reached all the way to his eyes, and he crawled in next to them, fitting into the tight space with a squeeze that was worth it for the feeling of belonging that extended across the three of them. 

"Thank you," Steve broke the silence, but his voice was low enough that the two of them didn't jump at the words directed at Wanda, "you saved my life." She shrugged, in equal parts pleased and shy of the attention she was being given, and despite her mind-reading abilities it still took her by surprise when Steve reached over and hugged her, albeit awkwardly due to their position. Pietro bristled, his protective instincts still hyperactive, or at least even more so than usual, from being unable to rescue her from those attacking her for nearly a week.

"Hey, hey," instead of looking disappointed, or hurt, Steve immediately raised his hands above his head, laughing it off, "I'm just a very touchy guy. Don't worry," he cut off Wanda' apologies for her brother, "I get it. God knows when I haven't had Tony for a long time I want to punch anyone who touches him. He cares about you. Don't apologise for that." Wanda nodded, turning back to Pietro to take his hand in hers.

"What's going on in here?" Clint's jaunty tone floated towards them, and he bent down to see the trio. "You've made a fort?" He grinned, getting down on all fours. "Let me in then?"

"There's no room," Pietro replied instantly, but Wanda knew from the quick wink he sent Clint's way that the rudeness wasn't something to reprimand him for.

"Oh, I'm only small," Clint dismissed jovially, nearly kneeing Steve in the head as he climbed over, "except my ass, everyone always tells me it's perky."

"Clint," Steve groaned, but he, too, was laughing. Just then, Clint swayed dangerously from his precarious position on Steve's spine, knocking into one of the mattresses of the walls, leading to a domino effect which ended in a dramatic conclusion of the four of them draped in a duvet buried by pillows.

Someone sighed from the doorway, and by the length and feeling of the sigh Steve could tell that it was Bruce. "I can fix that," he said, instead of the witty comment that Steve had expected, "give me some extra pillows and I can make it big enough for the whole team. One condition, though," he warned, "Clint and his 'perky butt' stay away until I'm done."

"I'll go make cookies!" Clint exclaimed, skipping up and immediately tripping over the duvet still surrounding him, nearly faceplanting straight into the table if Bruce hadn't caught him. 

"Try not to set anything on fire!" Bruce called back, muttering "again," under his voice so that Steve wouldn't hear and find out some of the disasters that had occurred whilst he had been away. Then he got to work.

 

Clint whistled lowly when he returned, followed by a heavenly smell of chocolate cookies. "What are you, some kind of fucking structural engineer?" he praised the new fort, somehow large enough that it would indeed be able to suit the whole team, which was for the best considering the wafting scent of baking had summoned most of the other members, as if by magic. Bucky and Sam were first, with Sam playfully shoving Bucky backwards so that he got the best spot on the mattress, and Bucky retaliated by starting an aggressive game of footsie which had Sam on the back foot since he had to protect Wanda from Bucky's stray feet whilst simultaneously attacking him.

Peter came next, taking one look at the two warring in the centre and choosing the safest option of lying bodily on top of Pietro and therefore safe from any kicking.

Natasha raised an amused eyebrow when she saw the ever-growing group of superheroes huddled inside a blanket fort, and laughed. "Having fun?" She asked, "What would the world do if they knew that their protectors are actually children?"

"You don't have to come in, you know," Clint chewed nonchalantly on one of his cookies, but instead of leaving Natasha swiped one of them from the plate next to him and wriggled in, ending up pressed up against his side and looking more happy and at home than they had seemed in a long time.

Scott and Vision also entered together, taking one look at the pillows before making eye contact and leaving. Scott returned with a selection of movies, both old favourites and new ones that members had expressed an interest in seeing, and Vision with an armful of blankets that he dutifully covered everyone with, creating the perfect environment for a movie marathon.

Thor and Tony were the last to arrive, summoned both by the smell and the shouts from their team-mates, and Thor immediately fell in love with the idea. He expressed his joy with loud, raucous shouts and expressive hand gestures, whereas Tony merely smiled softly and slipped his phone into his pocket. In his own way, this showed his happiness more than anything else, giving up his precious work time to spend time with the group, and Thor, of all people, recognised this.

"It feels nice, does it not?" Thor nudged Tony partway through the second movie, "Having this companionship?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, looking over at those he had been forced to work with, now so much more than that, and entwining his hand in Steve's. "It feels like family."

"It is, brother Anthony. We are family in all but blood, and that does not matter. Not like this."


End file.
